Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Geometric art
Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages and a little later, c. 900–700 BC. Its center was in Athens, and from there the style spread among the trading cities of the Aegean. The so-called Greek Dark Ages were considered to last from c. 1100 to 800 BC and include the phases from the Protogeometric period to the Middle Geometric I period, which Knodell (2021) calls Prehistoric Iron Age. The vases had various uses or purposes within Greek society, including, but not limited to, funerary vases and symposium vases.
Large funerary vases (often Dipylon kraters for men, and belly-handled amphorae for women) not only depicted funerary scenes, but they also had practical purposes, either holding the ashes or being used as grave markers. These vases often carried funerary imagery to commemorate the dead; the deceased person was depicted robed lying in state (prothesis), often surrounded by mourning family members, or lying in a bed and carried to the grave with an honorary chariot procession (ekphora). The depiction was accompanied by various heroic scenes and warfare imagery which are thought to be related to similar descriptions of the Homeric epics and were used to enhance the heroic ambience. To the Greeks, an omission of a proper burial was an insult to proper dignity. The mythological context of a proper burial relates to the Greeks' belief in a continued existence in the underworld that will disallow the dead to maintain peace in the absence of a proper burial ritual.
Aside from its funerary use, the Greeks also utilized various vessels during symposia. The Greek symposium was a social gathering that only aristocratic males were allowed to attend. Vessels, such as wine coolers, jugs, various drinking cups, and mixing vessels, were decorated with Greek, geometric scenes. Some of the scenes depicted drinking parties or Dionysus and his followers. The symposia were held in the andron, which was a men's-only room. The only women allowed into this room were called "hetaera", or female sex-workers, who required payment from their regular, male companions.
The Protogeometric style (1025–900 BC) inherits its decorative forms and motifs from Mycenaean tradition and is mostly visible in ceramic production. Technological developments of the era created a new relationship between ornament and structure, causing differing stylistic choices from its Mycenaean influences. The shapes of the vessels have eliminated the fluid nature of the Mycenaean creating a more strict and simple design. There are horizontal, decorative bands that feature geometric shapes, including concentric circles or semicircles. Other characteristics of the early Protogeometric style included monochrome pottery and wavy lines on the shoulders. Common vase shapes of the period include amphorai with the handles on both the belly and the neck, hydriai (water jars), oinochoai (wine jugs), lekythoi, and skyphoi (stemless cups). Protegeometric pottery style is thought to have been led by Athens, while other regions also had their own local variations, most notably Thessaly, Euboea, Crete etc. The Protogeometric period did not yet feature human figures within its art, but horses were pictured during this time period. The village of Lefkandi in Euboea is considered one of the most representative sites of the Early Protogeometric style. New shapes, like the kalathos and pyxis, are thought to have been introduced during the Late Protogeometric period.
In the early Geometric period (900–850 BC), the height of the vessels had been increased, while the decoration was limited around the neck down to the middle of the body of the vessel. The remaining surface is covered by a thin layer of clay, which during the firing takes a dark, shiny, metallic color. This was the period when the decorative theme of the meander was added to the pottery design, the most characteristic element of Geometric art.
During this period, a broader repertoire of vessel shapes was initiated. Specifically, amphorae were used to hold cremation ashes. The amphorae featured handles on the neck or shoulder for males, while featuring handles on the "belly" of the vase for women.
By the middle Geometric period (850–760 BC), the decorative zones appear multiplied due to the creation of a laced mesh, while the meander dominates and is placed in the most important area, in the metope, which is arranged between the handles.
Based on excavations at Sindos, mentioned by Gimatzidis and Weninger (2020), Alagich et al. (2024) consider the possibility that Middle Geometric period began 140 years earlier, lasting (c. 990-870 BC).
Hub AI
Geometric art AI simulator
(@Geometric art_simulator)
Geometric art
Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages and a little later, c. 900–700 BC. Its center was in Athens, and from there the style spread among the trading cities of the Aegean. The so-called Greek Dark Ages were considered to last from c. 1100 to 800 BC and include the phases from the Protogeometric period to the Middle Geometric I period, which Knodell (2021) calls Prehistoric Iron Age. The vases had various uses or purposes within Greek society, including, but not limited to, funerary vases and symposium vases.
Large funerary vases (often Dipylon kraters for men, and belly-handled amphorae for women) not only depicted funerary scenes, but they also had practical purposes, either holding the ashes or being used as grave markers. These vases often carried funerary imagery to commemorate the dead; the deceased person was depicted robed lying in state (prothesis), often surrounded by mourning family members, or lying in a bed and carried to the grave with an honorary chariot procession (ekphora). The depiction was accompanied by various heroic scenes and warfare imagery which are thought to be related to similar descriptions of the Homeric epics and were used to enhance the heroic ambience. To the Greeks, an omission of a proper burial was an insult to proper dignity. The mythological context of a proper burial relates to the Greeks' belief in a continued existence in the underworld that will disallow the dead to maintain peace in the absence of a proper burial ritual.
Aside from its funerary use, the Greeks also utilized various vessels during symposia. The Greek symposium was a social gathering that only aristocratic males were allowed to attend. Vessels, such as wine coolers, jugs, various drinking cups, and mixing vessels, were decorated with Greek, geometric scenes. Some of the scenes depicted drinking parties or Dionysus and his followers. The symposia were held in the andron, which was a men's-only room. The only women allowed into this room were called "hetaera", or female sex-workers, who required payment from their regular, male companions.
The Protogeometric style (1025–900 BC) inherits its decorative forms and motifs from Mycenaean tradition and is mostly visible in ceramic production. Technological developments of the era created a new relationship between ornament and structure, causing differing stylistic choices from its Mycenaean influences. The shapes of the vessels have eliminated the fluid nature of the Mycenaean creating a more strict and simple design. There are horizontal, decorative bands that feature geometric shapes, including concentric circles or semicircles. Other characteristics of the early Protogeometric style included monochrome pottery and wavy lines on the shoulders. Common vase shapes of the period include amphorai with the handles on both the belly and the neck, hydriai (water jars), oinochoai (wine jugs), lekythoi, and skyphoi (stemless cups). Protegeometric pottery style is thought to have been led by Athens, while other regions also had their own local variations, most notably Thessaly, Euboea, Crete etc. The Protogeometric period did not yet feature human figures within its art, but horses were pictured during this time period. The village of Lefkandi in Euboea is considered one of the most representative sites of the Early Protogeometric style. New shapes, like the kalathos and pyxis, are thought to have been introduced during the Late Protogeometric period.
In the early Geometric period (900–850 BC), the height of the vessels had been increased, while the decoration was limited around the neck down to the middle of the body of the vessel. The remaining surface is covered by a thin layer of clay, which during the firing takes a dark, shiny, metallic color. This was the period when the decorative theme of the meander was added to the pottery design, the most characteristic element of Geometric art.
During this period, a broader repertoire of vessel shapes was initiated. Specifically, amphorae were used to hold cremation ashes. The amphorae featured handles on the neck or shoulder for males, while featuring handles on the "belly" of the vase for women.
By the middle Geometric period (850–760 BC), the decorative zones appear multiplied due to the creation of a laced mesh, while the meander dominates and is placed in the most important area, in the metope, which is arranged between the handles.
Based on excavations at Sindos, mentioned by Gimatzidis and Weninger (2020), Alagich et al. (2024) consider the possibility that Middle Geometric period began 140 years earlier, lasting (c. 990-870 BC).